


The Light In The Dark

by TheGreatestTrashEver



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe, Anakin Skywalker Doesn't Turn to the Dark Side, Brother-Sister Relationships, Child Leia Organa, Child Luke Skywalker, Cute Luke Skywalker, Gen, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Padmé Amidala Lives, Parent-Child Relationship, Skywalker Family Feels
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-31
Updated: 2020-05-31
Packaged: 2021-03-03 08:27:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,503
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24467947
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheGreatestTrashEver/pseuds/TheGreatestTrashEver
Summary: Luke Skywalker grew up until now knowing nothing of The Force. His father, and mother, kept knowledge of it hidden from him as long as they could, but somethings are not meant to be secrets forever. Now, seven years old and blissfully unaware of the dangers that lay waiting, he hears as The Force calls out to him. With that call comes darkness Luke never expected.
Relationships: Anakin Skywalker & Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa & Anakin Skywalker, Leia Organa & Luke Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi & Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi & Luke Skywalker, Padmé Amidala & Leia Organa, Padmé Amidala & Luke Skywalker, Padmé Amidala/Anakin Skywalker
Comments: 6
Kudos: 43





	The Light In The Dark

**Author's Note:**

> Soooooo, this is my first work in the Star Wars fandom. I apologize if a butcher anything too badly. I will give my public service warning and say that I do not have a beta, and have been disgraced by my English Teacher multiple times because of numerous grammatical errors. With that note, I hope you enjoy the fic. 
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars or The Star Wars franchise. I have no legal claim or rights to any of the characters or the universe they were created in.

Seven-year-old Luke Skywalker stared at the cabinet before him in confusion. The cabinet itself looked innocent enough, being old, dusty and worn. Yet still, it pulled at him; something was inside, something important that needed to be found. Now. It was like a tug from a string, pulling at his gut. He bit his lip; he was supposed to be hiding from Leia right now. The two of them were playing hide and seek, and Leia was a good finder. If he didn’t hide now, he could be caught, though part of him reasoned he’d gone into the house so deep that the likelihood of her catching him was slim. 

He kept staring at the cabinet. Vaguely, he felt something nudge at him. _Open the cabinet,_ it seemed to say softly. He glanced worriedly at the entrance to the mostly bare room. He really should be hiding, after all, there was no doubt that if Leia found him just standing there in the open, he would be teased relentlessly. But still… The tugging was ever persistent. 

Huffing out a breath, Luke made up his mind. Tentatively, he took a step forward; very carefully, he opened up the cabinet door. The hinges squeaked, and he couldn’t help but wonder how long it had been since the cabinet had last been opened. When the door was open fully, Luke paused; inside were what appeared to be blasters, robes, and a few random items that didn’t quite seem to belong. Usually, he would be awed by all the different stuff, but not today. None of those things were what he was supposed to find, he just knew it! 

Luke felt his face scrunch up in concentration. Maybe that something that told him to open up the cabinet would help him. He stayed still and focused. A minute passed before Luke felt another subtle pull; there in the back right side of the cabinet was what he was looking for. Without really realizing what he was doing, Luke reached forward and grabbed a small bundle. Whatever was inside was concealed by a Bantha leather wrap. Hesitantly, Luke took a few steps back and plopped down onto the stone floor. His brows furrowed as he tried to think of what could be inside. The bundle was fairly small, and Luke could feel through the wrap that there were a few carvings on whatever was hidden inside. Curious, Luke set to work trying to untangle the string that was holding the leather cloth closed. 

After a few minutes of struggling, Luke got the string to loosen just enough so that he could get his little fingers around it and make it unravel. The string fell off to the sides, and Luke held the item in his lap. Taking a deep breath, he began to undo the rest of the wrap. When he did, what he saw laid inside puzzled him; there, underneath all the leather, laid a small, round silver hilt. He wasn’t sure what it was, but it made the something that pulled him to find it sing happily. He knew it was a weapon, a dangerous one at that, immediately. He didn’t know how he knew that, but he did. This, whatever this was, was powerful. Yet it didn’t scare Luke. Gingerly, he picked it up off his lap and held it in his hands tightly. The Something sung again, and Luke couldn’t help but smile a little. Holding the object felt right; so right it almost felt wrong. 

Without thinking, Luke stood up and let the Bantha leather wrap fall to the ground off his lap. Time seemed to be frozen around him as he looked more closely at the object in his hands. It was cylindrical, and about as long as his forearm. The design had lots of detail, and it had obviously been made mindfully and with utmost skill. It entranced Luke, and all his confusion was replaced by awe and wonder; whatever the thing was, it clicked to Luke, like a missing piece that had finally been found. 

Luke was about to give it an even closer inspection when suddenly he heard loud, fast footsteps. For whatever reason, The Something called out to him and told him to put The Thing back. Panicked, Luke bent down to pick the wrap back up when he heard someone calling him.

“Luke!?” a deep voice called out frantically. Instantly, Luke recognized the voice as that of which belonged to his father. “Luke, where are you?!” 

“Daddy?” Luke called back, halting in his actions to wrap The Thing back up. For a moment, he put The Thing aside. He set it half wrapped onto the floor so he could stand back up straight.

The footsteps stopped for a moment, before suddenly picking back up, faster this time, indicating his father was running towards his voice. With this, Luke abruptly remembered he needed to wrap The Thing back up. 

Before Luke could even begin to bend back down though, his father burst through the entrance, looking to be in a half wild state. Briefly, their eyes made contact and Luke could see his father visually relax. His shoulders slumped and his face became less tense. 

“Luke…” His father said with a sigh, relief evident in his voice. Luke didn’t even know what was happening, but before he knew it his father had closed the short distance between them and lifted Luke up into his arms. 

Surprised but not completely against the notion of being held, Luke situated himself in his father’s hold enough so that he could wrap his own smaller arms around his father’s neck. Once he did that, his father gripped him even tighter, nearly tight enough to make it intolerable. Luke didn’t say anything though, too bewildered by his father’s sudden actions to get out words. 

They stood there for a moment before his father began to rock back and forth on his feet. Luke felt his father’s flesh hand leave its previous spot on his back and travel to his head, where he began to run fingers through Luke’s hair. 

“Daddy?” Luke finally questioned after a minute or two of this. 

“What were you doing in here?” His Father asked tenderly instead of answering. His arms still held Luke tightly. “Your Mother, Leia and I have been looking for you everywhere.”

“Oh,” Luke said, a wave of guilt crashing through him unexpectedly. He hadn’t meant to make anyone worry! “Leia and I were just playing hide and seek.”

“That was twenty minutes ago, Luke,” His father said. “Leia came and got your Mother after a little while and told her she couldn’t find you. Eventually, your Mother got me and we’ve been looking for you since.”

“I’m sorry,” Luke said quietly. He felt tears prick at his eyes at the idea of making anyone upset. “I didn’t mean to.”

“It’s okay,” his father said. “But don’t ever do it again.”

They stayed like they were for a few moments longer, until his father turned in a way that had him facing the entryway and his father facing the cabinet. Instantly, the hand that had been running through his hair froze. The room seemed to become littered with tension and Luke thought he might have heard his father’s breathing hitch. 

“Luke,” his father said, his voice turned hard and almost wary. “Did you open that cabinet?” 

“Yes,” Luke said tentatively, having gone stiff in his father’s grasp. His heart hammered against his chest. Was his father angry? “I’m sorry! I didn’t know I wasn’t allowed to-”

All the sudden, Luke found himself on his feet again, his father kneeling down in front of him, cupping his face in both his real and not real hand. Luke looked at his father, who was looking right back at him. His father didn’t look mad exactly, but he looked... concerned? Luke couldn’t pinpoint what the look on his father’s face meant exactly, but he knew he didn’t like it. 

“Luke,” his father started, his voice having a forced softness to it; almost like his father was having to control himself. “Why did you open it?”

“I don’t know,” Luke said, trying to look anywhere but his father’s eyes. He hesitated, before adding, “Something told me to…” 

“Who?” His father demanded quickly, his face emphasizing back onto it’s hardness from seconds ago. “Who told you to open that cabinet?” 

“Not a who,” Luke said swiftly, thinking he knew his father’s train of thoughts. “A what. Or a something. I don’t really know what it was, it was just- I don’t know, a feeling, but different than a feeling?” 

He trailed off. He took a deep breath, and braved to look at his father’s face. His features looked blank now, but his eyes looked almost panicked.

“Daddy?”

Luke witnessed as his father turned away and searched over the room. Luke followed his gaze and his eyes landed on The Thing he'd found in the cabinet earlier; it was right where he had left it, only half wrapped and laying there. His father seemed to have seen it too, for not even a moment later his father was on his feet making his way to the object. His father stopped before it and looked down at it; Luke fidgeted nervously, still standing where his father had put him. His father stared at the item for what felt like forever, before bending down and snatching it up in one fast motion. His father moved the leather wrap around a little, apparently also wanting to see what was inside, before he stopped upright. Luke watched with bated breath as his father eyed the object carefully. Luke stopped fidgeting, waiting to see what his father said about the object, wanting to know about The Thing that felt so right being held in his hand. Unfortunately though, his father didn’t say so much as a word, and, much to Luke's dismay, hastily wrapped the item back up, none too gently. 

Briskly, his father twisted and marched straight towards the cabinet with a sort of fury in his bright blue eyes. His father took one look inside of it, before hastily shoving The Thing back into the corner of the cabinet Luke had originally found it in. His father then took one stride backwards and practically slammed the old cabinet door shut. Luke was about to ask why and demand to know what the object he had found was, but, he didn’t get a chance before he was heaved back into his father’s arms effortlessly. Before Luke could protest, his father made his way out of the room and into the hallway. 

“Daddy?” Luke questioned, wiggling in his father’s grasp, trying in vain to fulfill the sudden urge of wanting to get set down. “I want down, please.”

His father didn’t say anything in return and continued to hold him. His hold was tighter than usual and Luke couldn’t help but worry something was wrong with him. Through his father’s heavy clothing he could just barely feel the man’s heartbeat; fast becoming faster with every step they took down the hallway taking them towards the common space. 

“We’re going to go find your Mother and Leia,” his father said, ignoring his earlier request. He sounded calm, and his voice had gone back to its normal soft tone, but still, there remained a certain edge to it that Luke could only barely pick up on.

For whatever reason, Luke found himself being worried about his father and his well being; he seemed upset, in a way that reminded him of the time Leia had fallen out of a tree when they were younger and like the time Luke had wandered off near the lake by accident. Wanting to comfort him, Luke freed one of his hands and grasped a hold of his father’s shoulder and squeezed it gently in reassurance like he had seen his mother do before. His father stiffened just slightly, before relaxing and kissing the top of Luke’s head in response. 

Neither of them said anything until Leia and their mother came into view. 

“Luke!” He heard his mother exclaim upon seeing him. Despite his growing concern for his father, Luke smiled brightly and took back up wiggling out of the arms that carried him; luckily, his father complied this time and Luke took off running towards where his mother and Leia were as soon as his feet hit the ground. 

“Mommy!” Luke said in delight as he made his way to her. Her arms were open wide as she stepped forward to meet him in the middle. Much to Luke’s happiness, she pulled him into a hug as soon as they got to each other. 

Luke leaned into her embrace and smiled even wider. His mother’s hugs were always the best, being warm, gentle, and safe. She always carded a hand through his hair, as she was doing now, and put his head on her chest. He always felt at ease in her arms. She was the only person whose hugs he loved more than his father’s. 

“Don’t you ever scare me like that again,” his mother said to him, and Luke noted her voice sounded almost as relieved as his father’s had earlier. 

“I won’t,” Luke promised quickly. “I didn’t mean to; I just got distracted. I’m sorry!” 

His mother only sighed and drew him closer before releasing him. Instinctively, he looked over at Leia who was standing nearby. Without hesitation, Luke made his way over to her two. She glared at him heatedly, but Luke grinned.

“Do I win?” He asked. “You weren’t the one who found me after all.”

“You’re mean,” she said to him, still glaring, though Luke could see just the barest twitch of her lips. 

They stared at each other for a moment before Leia lunged forward and grabbed him around the waist without warning, hugging him tightly. Knowing that he had hurt his sister by scaring her, Luke hugged her back. The two embraced for a moment longer before his sister pushed him away finally.

“I want a rematch,” Leia proclaimed, no longer frowning but still looking serious. “You caused an unfair and unwarranted disruption in the game and that means we have to re-do it.”

Luke was about to argue that he really didn't, and that he had just gotten sidetracked, but his father intervened sharply before he could.

“No,” their father said, his voice stiff and cold. Luke jumped a little in surprise by the sheer volume of the man’s voice. Both he and Leia looked at their father in surprise and confusion. Luke noticed their mother looking at their father too. Her perfectly plucked eyebrows were raised and a mixture of confusion and concern was written across her usually serene face. 

“Ani?” Luke heard his mother question. All eyes were directed towards his father because of the unexpected outburst. 

Apparently deciding to back track, their father continued in a slightly more controlled tone, “I don’t want either of you running off like that again,” he explained. “Why don’t you two, together, go play in your room?”

Leia looked like she was about to protest, but Luke sent her a look pleading with her not to. Something was wrong, and he had a feeling that if they fought with their father now it would only make things worse. Naturally, Leia scowled at him, but she still nodded faintly. She too, seemed to realize something was wrong. 

Their mother was still looking at their father with an odd look on her face. She stood still and straight, and was eyeing him pointedly. Luke’s head was spinning a little trying to fathom what exactly was happening. He realized it probably had something to do with the cabinet, The Something, and The Thing. After all, their father only started acting like this when he found Luke. 

“We’ll go play,” Luke said to their father finally, looking away from Leia who begrudgingly nodded in agreement. 

Their father gazed at Luke, seemingly searching for something, and Luke tried not to squirm. The expression their father wore wasn’t that of him being mad, but it was something. Luke didn’t know what it was, or why his father looked like that, but it unsettled him a little and made his stomach flop and flip around. 

“All right,” their father said, his posture deflating minimally. “Just promise me, no more hide and seek today.”

Both Luke and Leia nodded and moved to leave the room. Their mother still hadn’t said anything more, which Luke thought was odd but he didn’t comment. Leia walked out of the room and past their father. Luke went to follow suit, but his father suddenly grabbed his shoulder with his flesh hand. 

“Luke,” his father said as Luke stared up at him curiously. His scarred face was tight and his long hair framed it. Luke watched as his father opened his mouth, looking as if he was about to say something more before changing his mind. His father sighed and bent down to his level. 

“I love you,” his father said suddenly, pulling him into his arms tightly once more. One of his father's hands, his prosthetic one, wrapped under his shoulder and rested on the base of his head while the other one held him by the lower back.

“I love you too,” Luke said back. He chose not to speak on how weird his father was acting. Asking what the matter was would be futile anyways.

His father released him after a couple seconds and smiled. 

“Go catch up with your sister,” his father said, standing back up from where he had been kneeling. His father looked over at his mother, who was giving him an expecting look. “And, please, remember what I said about the hide and seek and running off. No more of that today. Or maybe preferably ever, actually.”

Luke only nodded before sprinting off after Leia. As he left the room he heard his mother start to talk in a hushed voice.

“What was that?” Leia demanded once he was in step beside her. “What happened when Daddy found you?”

“I don’t know,” Luke said truthfully with a shrug. “I didn’t say or do anything bad, I don’t think.”

“Well you obviously you did, Luke,” she said, her voice more than slightly accusing. “Now there’s something wrong with Daddy.”

“I’m serious, Leia,” Luke said, putting his hands up in defense as they passed through one of the common areas. “I didn’t do anything! I just told him what happened.” 

“Oh, sure,” Leia said sarcastically. “You didn’t do anything and Daddy just happens to look like someone threw him into a pile of sand after he found you.”

Luke could only roll his eyes and try to ignore the twisting in his gut. 

“What went on in the first place anyways?” Leia asked after they made it to their room. “I looked almost everywhere and I still couldn’t find you!”

“It’s hard to explain,” Luke said grimacing. He thought back to The Something he had felt and The Thing he had found. He thought back to how their father had reacted. None of it made any sense. “Just, let’s forget about it, please? I’m sorry I ruined the game- you can choose what we play next.”

Leia’s eyes suddenly went soft and she grabbed his hand firmly with her own.

“I don’t really care that the game got ruined, Luke,” she said fiercely. “I just care about you and Daddy and whatever happened that made him so upset.”

“I know,” Luke said. “I know.”

Inside of him he felt The Something starting to stir backup. He bit his lip and looked away from Leia. The Something whispered to him; it said everything and nothing all at once. He knew something had just changed in his life. The change was big and had undoubtedly had everything to do with The Something, The Thing, the cabinet, and his father too. There was still one more thing missing from the equation though; one more thing was twitching in The Something that needed to be found, just like The Thing in the cabinet. 

“Luke?” 

“Let’s go play another game,” he said, letting go of her hand. “Like I said, you can pick.”

With those words, Luke tried to push away his thoughts and his feelings of The Something. Because of that, he didn’t feel the explosive emotions and feelings that were pulsing through The Something like waves of energy. He didn’t feel the strong ripple of fear a few rooms away from his father, and he didn’t feel the confusion that came from planets away from another unknown man. And, he most certainly did not feel the darkness that started to spill like ship fuel into The Something as a monster awoke from its depth in sick, twisted interest.

But soon enough, he would feel all of it. And with that, the brunt of the results.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you guys liked it! I was afraid that this chapter might have been a little slow, but the story will speed up as the plot moves forward. If you want, leave a comment to let me know what you think. :D


End file.
